This application claims the priority of German application 197 45 521.2-16, filed in Germany on Oct. 15, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a cushioning for a vehicle seat having a cushioning layer, a ventilation layer which covers this cushioning layer and through which air can flow, a plurality of air ducts which completely penetrate the cushioning layer and are open on the backside of the cushioning layer, and a miniature fan arranged in respective ones of the ducts for blowing air into the ventilation layer.
For ventilating vehicle seats, it has been suggested to provide in the cushioning layer of the seat cushion or of the backrest cushion a plurality of air ducts which are arranged in a uniformly distributed manner over the cushioning surfaces, on the one hand, leading out freely at the bottom side of the cushioning layer and, on the other hand, at the ventilation layer and to arrange in these air ducts in each case a miniature fan or a miniature ventilator (German Patent Document DE 196 28 698.0-16). As the result, a large air throughput is achieved in the ventilation layer which is preferably arranged as a wide-meshed spaced knit, which air throughput passes through the air-permeable pressure distribution layer of the cushioning situated above and, within a short time, cools the cushioning, which is heated, for example, during parking by sun radiation, down to a comfortable temperature. As a result of the fact that the air is taken in on the underside of the seat, thus in an area of the vehicle interior in which the lowest air temperature exists, the effectiveness of the air cooling is considerably increased
Such a ventilation vertically through the cushioning is not possible in those cushioning areas in which air chambers and other aggregates are arranged in the cushioning layer, which are used, for example, for adjusting the seat contour.
It is an object of the invention to ensure, in the case of cushionings of the initially mentioned type also in those problematic cushioning areas which are situated, in particular, in the panel area of the seat cushion and the backrest of a vehicle seat, a sufficient air throughput through the cushioning area.
In the case of a cushioning for a vehicle seat of the type referred to above, this task is achieved according to the invention by providing an arrangement wherein ends of selected air ducts facing the ventilation layer are constructed such that a portion of the air flow penetrating the air duct enters into an open cross-section of the ventilation layer.
The cushioning according to the invention has the advantage that, by means of the construction according to the invention of the air ducts situated on the boundaries of the problematic cushioning area, the ventilation air is blown in diagonally from the side into the cushioning area. In this case, a large portion of the ventilation air enters vertically into the cross-sectional surface of the ventilation layer and, without flow losses, is transmitted directly in parallel to the surface. The air, which flows within the ventilation layer along the whole cushioning area, will then pass through the remaining air-permeable cushioning structure, such as the air distribution layer and the cushioning cover, and optimally carries away heat and moisture also into the problematic cushioning areas.
Advantageous embodiments of the cushioning according to the invention with expedient developments and further developments of the invention are described herein.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air duct is constructed as a cylindrical sleeve which is provided with a spout and is preferably made of plastic and is inserted in a recess in the cushioning layer. In this case, a portion of the ventilation layer over the outlet opening of the spout is introduced into the spout such that the open cross-sectional surface of the ventilation layer is acted upon by the air flow in the air duct. A web, which is constructed in a favorable manner with respect to the flow, in the area of the inlet opening of the spout, provides that the cushioning surface does not fall in the area of the spout. These constructive measures ensure an optimizing of the air inflow into the ventilation layer.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.